South Philly’s speakeasy-style Palizzi Social Club, a reinvention of a century-old hangout for Italian immigrants, is a members-only establishment — meaning if you aren’t able to score a membership card on one of the rare occasions they’re up for sale, a night of feasting on chef-owner Joey Baldino’s stuffed artichokes, grilled lamb chops, and spaghetti and crabs in an atmospherically retro dining room is out of reach.

The next best thing? Making friends who someone who has a membership. The third best thing? Making Baldino’s Italian dishes at home. The chef’s first cookbook, Dinner at the Club: 100 Years of Stories and Recipes from South Philly’s Palizzi Social Club, written with Adam Erace, is out October 29. It’s worth flipping through for the photos alone: moody shots of the neighborhood, a table laden with a feast of seven fishes, cheese dripping out of fat arancini, diners, including Marc Vetri, conversing at the club.